God and Girl
by Pinelle
Summary: Hiyori loves Yukine and Yato... Don't get the wrong idea! She loves them as friends. But when Hiyori's feelings towards Yato become more than friendly, how will she deal with her new emotions?
1. Chapter 1

It was a regular day in the life of 15 year-old Iki Hiyori... except for the fact that she had slipped out of her body (again) and was busy trying to not get murdered by a youkai.

"Get away!" she screeched as she ran. The 20 foot tall monster slammed one of its 5 limbs on the ground, barely missing Hiyori by inches. She turned as white as paper and her eyes widened with the shock that she was almost made into a pancake. "Eeeeeek!" she screeched again, forcing her legs to run faster. She didn't know what to do. How would she get out of this one?

The monster caught up to her and wrapped it's goo-like arm around Hiyori. "One of us," it said with a twisted voice that switched from low to high pitched. Hiyori struggled to free herself from its grasp, trying to protect her tail for the most part. Just as the monster was about to... eat her? The monster was directing Hiyori's body towards its mouth. Hiyori's skin turned whiter and her eyes got watery. Without thinking, she whispered out the name of the only person that could save her.

"Yato..." she called for the God of Calamity. She shut her her eyes tightly after calling his name, getting ready to be eaten as tears of fear and hopelessness rolled down her cheeks.

"Sekki!" she heard suddenly, but she was too terrified to open her eyes just yet. She kept her eyes closed, listening to the monster growling and the sound of slashing. Suddenly, she felt like the grip around her waste loosened an she started to fall. Just as Hiyori was about to open her eyes to see herself fall to her death, she was caught by someone.

She finally decided to open her eyes, slowly. She blinked a few times to get a better look at what was happening. The shock had made her vision blurred.

The first thing she saw as her sight came back to her, was a pair of bright turquoise ovals that stared back at her. It was then that she realized that she wasn't just being carried, but she was being carried bridal-style.

She instantly started to squirm away in embarrassment, causing her to fall out of Yato's arms and hit the ground.

"Hiyori, are you hurt?" Yato finally spoke, sincere concern in his voice – something that wasn't heard very often.

"I-I'm fine..." Hiyori answered, turning her head away and blushing bright red. She remained sitting on the floor, not knowing how to thank Yato for saving her tail back there.

"Ooooh? You didn't seem fine just a second ago. You were calling my name, the great God Yato's name. 'Yato! Yato!' you were yelling," Yato said with his usual arrogant tone.

"I wasn't yelling!" Hiyori stood up quickly and pouted at Yato, still burning red.

"It's not like she'd ever say your name that way," a third voice piped in.

"Yukine-kun!" Hiyori turned her attention to Yukine, who had gone back to his human form.

"I wasn't the only one who heard her call my name was I? You heard it too. Right, Yukine?" Yato pleaded for Yukine's agreement.

"Did not!" yelled out Hiyori before Yukine could answer the question that was directed towards him. She turned even redder, remembering that she indeed did call Yato's name.

"I didn't hear anything, you Jersey God. Why would she even call your name, when..." Yukine stopped mid sentence and suddenly blushed a little. "Never mind."

"A-anyway, I need to get back to my body. I wouldn't want anything bad happening to it," Hiyori tried to change the subject.

"Where did you leave it?" asked Yato, protecting his eyes from the sun with his hand, which was firmly planted on his forehead as he looked around.

"Uhm... if I recall correctly, I left it..." Hiyori's sentence abruptly started to trail off as soon as Yato turned back to listen to her answer.

"What?" he asked, still with a hint of arrogance in his tone.

"I..." she trailed off again.

Hiyori wasn't sure why, but she just felt hypnotized by Yato's eyes. She couldn't take her eyes off of the turquoise colored ovals. She wasn't thinking straight. All she could think of was staring into his eyes.

"...yori?" Hiyori heard a few muffled voices speaking, but she couldn't even notice the fact that Yato's mouth was moving because she was so hypnotized with those eyes. "Hiyori?"

"Huh? What?" Hiyori snapped out of her trance and gently shook her head. "What is it?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Yukine, who took a step closer to Hiyori.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just got distracted for a moment..." Hiyori looked at Yukine to answer his question. When she turned her attention back to Yato, she felt like her chest had been lightly tapped from the inside.

"We should go find your body. Where was it that you left it?" asked Yato.

"I think I left it by my school," Hiyori finally answered, still thinking about that strange tapping that she felt in her chest. She didn't know why, but she kind of liked the feeling.

"At least my body's still warm after being asleep on the snow," Hiyori commented after going back into her body.

"We really have to find a way for you to stop slipping out of your body," said Yukine.

Hiyori glared at Yato, who gave her back a confused look. "_Someone_ is supposed to be working on that."

"I _am_ working on it," Yato said, defending himself.

"I swear, one day I'm going to be eaten up by a monster." At the mention of her own words, Hiyori turned pale again, remembering her near-death experience.

"Not if you call my name like you did before," teased Yato, bringing up the topic that Hiyori did not want to fall back into.

"I already told you that I didn't call your name!" Hiyori didn't quite understand herself why she had reacted so violently, but she almost bit her tongue after she said it.

Yukine looked like he was about to say something, but Yato interrupted him with his movements. He stepped closer to Hiyori and lowered his face to the height of hers. He looked into her eyes for a second, seeming a little bit surprised of himself by how close he was to her. He moved his mouth right by her ear, but not before turning a little bit pink.

Hiyori froze, feeling that tapping in her chest again. She felt as if the feeling was a guilty pleasure. But why did she feel guilty about it?

Yato finally spoke into her ear, "You can't lie to a God." With those words, chills were sent down Hiyori's spine and senses suddenly heightened. The smell... the unique smell of the God of Calamity filled her nostrils. She loved that smell. But she felt a little bit guilty about that, too. Was it wrong to love the scent that this God gave off? Or to enjoy that lightly painful tapping in her chest?

Yato stepped back, giving Hiyori a teasing smirk. Yukine looked at Yato, trying to keep his jaw from dropping. He hadn't been involved in the whole ear-whispering thing, but for some reason, he found himself blushing a little.

However, nothing could compare to Hiyori's completely cherry-red face. Of course, Yato was too dense to notice that both Yukine and Hiyori were blushing. Hell, he didn't even think that what he had done counted as "flirting" as so many people could have assumed he was doing.

"Hello~ Yato God here!" Yato suddenly blurted out. Hiyori was about to ask him what he was taking about when she noticed that Yato was holding a mobile phone against his cheek. "Mhm... I see. Great! We'll be there right away!." He slammed the upper half of his flip phone unto the bottom half and stuffed the device into his pocket. "Yukine, we have a job."

"What is..." Before Yukine could even finish asking his question, Yato had already transported both of them to the desired location.

Hiyori stood there, looking at where Yukine and Yato had been. Her red face was starting to turn back into its original peach color. She took in a deep breath, feeling both of her guilty pleasures fade away. She looked at her watch. "I should be getting home," she said to herself, starting to make her way towards her house.


	2. Chapter 2

New chapter every Saturday and Tuesday from now on!

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Hiyori lay in her bed, freshly out of the shower. She wore light blue pajamas with white polka dots. Blue... She stared into the blue cloth that covered both her arms. She instantly remembered how she had been hypnotized by Yato's eyes. At the thought of that, the feeling in her chest returned.

It was similar to the feeling of when you were about to ride a roller coaster for the first time. The heart pounding, feeling like it was about to shoot up from your chest and into your throat – painful, yet enjoyable. Then when you were the next in line, all the anxiety and tickling of the stomach would intensify and make you want to turn back; however, after getting into the seat, you feel as if the anxiety was almost enjoyable.

That's exactly how Hiyori felt. She hated and loved the feeling. It was a bittersweet feeling.

She suddenly heard rustling in the room next door, where she had generously allowed Yukine and Yato to sleep. Hiyori crawled out of her bed and walked outside of the room, into the hallway. She made her way in front of the door and hesitated a little before grabbing the knob, turning it, and opening the door.

"Oh~ Hiyori!" greeted Yato cheerfully.

"Ah, it's you, Yato. I thought I'd heard something," Hiyori answered, looking around the room. "Where's Yukine-kun?" she asked after failing to find the adolescent.

"He said that he wanted to go explore the city a little," explained Yato, walking closer to Hiyori.

"Is that so?..." she said, not knowing what to say.

"I wanted to go with him, but he told me to get away from him," he said, annoyed.

"You should probably just give him some space. I think it'll be fine." Hiyori had been avoiding looking directly at Yato – scared that the feeling that she'd been dealing with would explode in her body.

"Oi, why are you avoiding my eyes?" Yato asked, noticing Hiyori's eyes looking at his bandana instead of his face.

"I'm not av-" Hiyori stopped mid-sentence. Yato was just a few inched from her face when she looked up. She instantly staggered backwards, causing her to trip over her own foot. Just as she was tilting back, Yato stretched his hand, grabbed hers, and pulled her forward.

"What's gotten into you lately?" he asked, wrinkles of worry spreading on his forehead.

"N-nothing, I've been fine. Just a little bit..." her words drifted off. What had she been? She couldn't say 'odd', but that was what she had been. Odd.

Hiyori noticed that Yato was still holding onto her hand and instantly shook his hand off of hers. Her face started to turn red, but she managed to maintain her regular color.

She looked back up at Yato, hoping that he wasn't offended by the fact that she shook him away. He was looking at his hand, stroking the palm with his thumb.

"Yato?" Hiyori asked. Yato looked at Hiyori and then blinked a few times.

"What?"

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I think that question applies to you more than me," he answered, noticing Hiyori's red cheeks. "Do you have a fever?" Hiyori, quickly noticing that her cheeks had gained red coloring, tried to cover it up.

"I-It's a little cold in here, I might be catching a cold," she said, looking at her feet and playing around with her fingers.

Hiyori was unexpectedly hit with a wave of warmth that spread from her back to her neck. Yato's sweet smell filled Hiyori's nose and tickled as it made its way up her nostrils.

"You should wear this..." Yato said, placing his jersey over Hiyori's shoulders. He hesitated a little in separating his fingers from the clothing, but released the jersey's collar and allowed it to rest on Hiyori's body.

"T-thanks..." Is all Hiyori could say. The feeling was at its strongest point. Her heart pounded so hard that you could have assumed she had just ran a marathon. Her face reached a redness that one would have assumed was impossible for a human face color. The tips of her fingers quivered as she moved her hands up to hold on to the jersey – making sure it wouldn't slip off. The smell – oh, God, the smell – the smell that she loved so much was literally hanging over her. She had to fight the urge to pull the jersey onto her face and take a big whiff.

"You can wear that whenever you're cold," Yato told her, obviously avoiding eye contact with the pink-eyed girl.

That's when it hit. It hit like a strike of lightning – unexpected and random. Hiyori finally put together the clues. The pounding of her heart, the shaking of her hands, the redness of her cheeks, the tickling in her chest, and the nervousness around Yato. Why hadn't she realized before? Why hadn't she tried putting the clues together? It didn't matter. All that Hiyori knew was that she had fallen in deep, deep love with Yato and there was nothing she could do to change that.

Now that Hiyori had sorted out her feelings, she could have a little of peace. But, was this really peace? She knew she loved the God, but now the problem was fighting her urges. The urge to be with him, get a whiff of his scent, hug him, _kiss _him. She realized that now her life would be harder, trying to suppress herself and her guilty feelings. Not only that, but she would also have to live with the fact that Yato probably didn't see her that way. He was a _God, _after all, and she was a simple human/half phantom.

"I don't get cold that often," Hiyori finally said, snapping back into reality.

"You should wear it anyways... It looks good on you." This was too much for Hiyori's fragile heart. Suppress? She just couldn't. If she didn't do something to relieve the tension in her chest, then she felt like she would have exploded.

"H-Hiyori?!" Yato exclaimed, surprised by Hiyori's actions. She had suddenly stretched her arms out and filled the gap between them by placing Yato in the center. She folded her arms and pulled Yato towards her, putting her ear on his chest and slightly tightening her grip on him.

However, Hiyori was more surprised than Yato when she felt a pair of delicate hands gently petting her head. The warmth of Yato's hand made her want to hug him tighter. God, she wanted more than just a hug, but she wasn't sure if she had the courage to look into those beautiful eyes and steal a kiss. Not yet.

"Let's stay like this for a little bit..." Hiyori said quietly. Yato obviously heard her, but decided to answer by continuing to stroke her head. He lowered one of his hands onto her back and pushed Hiyori towards him, returning the hug.

Even Yato wasn't sure why he had returned the hug or why he had stroked Hiyori's head so delicately, but it just felt right.

"H-H-Hiyori?! Yato?!" was heard at the door of the room, where a certain blonde-haired, orange-eyed teenage boy stood with his mouth wide open.

Hiyori instantly pushed herself away from Yato and turned to Yukine.

"It's not what it looks like!" she yelled, waving her hands left to right.

"What were you guys doing?!" Yukine asked, shock reflected from his eyes.

"Whatever she and I do is none of your business," Yato suddenly joined the conversation. Hiyori was a little taken aback by the fact that Yato sounded almost angry. He usually didn't act that way towards Yukine, so a trigger must have been set off.

"What're you so angry about?" Yukine glared at Yato.

"That's _my _business," Yato glared right back at the boy.

"Guys, guys!" Hiyori intervened. "Let's just let it go." She looked at them as they relaxed their bodies and seemingly calmed down. "I'll let you guys talk it out, I'll be in my room." She hurried out of the room and into her own, not realizing that she still had Yato's jersey on. Not that she was complaining.

"Seriously, though... What was that about?" Yukine asked a second time after Hiyori had left.

"I honestly don't know," Yato answered, placing his right hand on his head with his fingers running through his hair. But he did know. He knew too damn well. He was slowly but surely developing feelings for the fragile half-phantom. He couldn't let it get the better of him.

"I..." Yukine started to say, but he decided to keep his mouth closed instead, looking a tad unsatisfied.

The rest of the night, Hiyori had possession of Yato's everyday attire. She had meant to return it, but the fragrance and warmth that came with it gave her comfort. Plus, she was kind of embarrassed now that Yukine was there. At least she had the freedom to press the cloth against her nose and smell it, falling asleep slowly.


	3. Chapter 3

New chapter every Saturday and Tuesday!

Thanks for the feedback. Feel free to leave more :)

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"When can I return this to him?..." Hiyori asked herself, stroking the sleeves of Yato's jersey. She had slept all night with it and she thought that it was time to return it. However, at the thought of seeing Yato, her face started to feel hot. Could she even face him after what happened the night before? She acted so out of character. She was certain that Yato knew about her feelings.

Hiyori sat on her bed, playing with the jersey's zipper. "'You can't lie to a God', huh?" she told herself, recalling Yato's words. Simply remembering his smooth voice and his breath on her ear sent a shiver down her whole body. She had fallen hard.

Even if she wanted to return the jersey, she didn't know where Yato was. She kept making excuses to not see him. "Maybe he has jobs," she had said to herself, "or maybe he's busy looking for them..." One way or another, Hiyori refused to go look for him. Should she wait until he finds her? No. He wouldn't search for her. He was probably too terrified of Hiyori and the way she had acted... but maybe he wanted his jersey back?

"Ah!" Hiyori kicked her feet up and pushed her body backwards, her upper body falling on the bed. "Yato's walking around without his jersey..." Hiyori imagined Yato in his white, long-sleeved shirt. She didn't see him like that too often, since he always had his jersey zipped up.

Hiyori took in a deep breath and stood up from her mattress, deciding to go look for the God and give him back what belonged to him. The last thing Hiyori wanted was him to think that she was stealing his clothes.

Once she was dressed, she checked the room next door. Empty. Of course. Why would he be home? It's not like he was just going to sit there until Hiyori decided to go see him.

She continued downstairs, but neither of her parents were home. It was a Sunday, so why would they be out? Then Hiyori remembered how her parents had told her that they were going to go grocery shopping on Sunday morning.

She took a piece of paper and a pen and wrote: "Went out shopping with friends. I'll be back later," followed by a cartoon-like drawing of a cat. She left the note of the table. It was the most logical spot to leave it so that her parents would see it.

Hiyori walked out of her house, wearing Yato's jersey. She thought about places where he could be as she walked farther and farther away from her home. "He _did _come when I said his name..." Hiyori said to herself. Call him? No way. It was too embarrassing to say his name and then have him not show up. It was embarrassing just saying his name at all.

She reached a park after twenty minutes or so of walking, still having no idea of Yato's whereabouts. Hiyori sat down on a bench, facing a small pond. She sighed, still trying to think of a place where Yato could be.

"Still wearing it?" Hiyori swore she heard Yato's voice.

_ Wow, now I'm imagining things._

"Hiyori?"

Hiyori realized that the voice wasn't in her mind. She turned her head to the left and spotted the God sitting beside her. She was caught off guard, so she still didn't answer him. She just kind of sat there and stuttered, "Y-Y-Ya"

Yato saw that she was wearing his jersey and couldn't help but blush a little.

"Are you still cold?" he asked, pointing his eyes towards the pond in an attempt to avoid eye contact.

"A little..." but Hiyori wasn't cold – not at all. She lied unconsciously. She wanted to wear the jersey a little longer. Had she lied to herself saying that she wanted to return the jersey to Yato, but actually just wanted to see him?

"You can keep it as long as you want..." Yato said, looking directly at Hiyori now.

"Thanks. It's... comfortable." Hiyori looked at Yato, trying to hold in her feelings. Unknowingly to Hiyori, however, Yato was doing the same.

Yato thought about Hiyori's smile. She hadn't smiled in a while. Why? Her smile was so bright that it could light up a whole city. It could light up his heart, as well. A part of him didn't want her to smile, though. Her smile was unique and special. If she smiled now, then someone else might see it. Yato wanted her smile all to himself. He didn't want anyone else to see her in her most precious moment.

Yato scooted a little closer to Hiyori when she looked away to look at a few ducks flying by. When Hiyori turned back to look at Yato, he was noticeably closer. But of course, she didn't mind. What she did do, though, was pretend that she hadn't noticed.

He looked straight into her eyes without saying a thing. Hiyori wondered what he was thinking. She also wondered why he just sat there and stared at her. His blue eyes were something that she would never get tired of, however. Looking at Yato made her feel good, but touching him was different. His hair. She wanted to use her long, delicate fingers to feel Yato's hair. She wondered if it was soft...

"I-Is there something wrong?" Hiyori finally asked after a few seconds of staring at each other.

"No... I just..." Yato's face was a little red, which was something that Hiyori didn't see often. In fact, she had only seen his red, blushing face twice before. Once when he drank a little too much sake and another time when Yukine told Hiyori that Yato had tripped and fallen on his face when doing a job. "I just..." he repeated himself.

_I just can't stop staring at your eyes, _Yato thought. He didn't want to say it out loud. Actually, it was more like he _couldn't. _

"Just...?" Hiyori asked.

_ Great, _thought Yato. She was pushing him to continue his sentence. He wasn't a fast thinker, so he couldn't think of something else to say.

Yato's face turned into a deeper red. He started to get nervous. What if he told her 'never mind' or laughed it off? No. For some reason, he liked the atmosphere. He didn't want to say anything at all. The sound of Hiyori's voice relaxed him.

A leaf gently landed on Yato's head, but he didn't notice. He only noticed when Hiyori suddenly reached towards him and grabbed something from the top of his head.

"A leaf," she told him, holding the object in between her thumb and index finger. Hiyori looked at him again, her face a little pink. "I think you have another one..." she lied. She just wanted to feel Yato's jet black hair. The half-phantom reached towards him again, pretending to untangle a leaf from his hair.

Just as Hiyori thought, Yato's hair was soft. It had this special texture. She hadn't felt hair like this before. It was extremely soft, but also had this kind of rough texture to it. Hiyori just couldn't explain his hair. It wasn't like anything she'd felt before. Well, nothing human, that is.

Yato sat there, unable to move. He couldn't move closer from the fear of Hiyori thinking that he was being creepy and he absolutely didn't want to move away.

There was a moment when their eyes met again while Hiyori had Yato's hair in between her fingers.

Yato, without thinking, started to lean a little closer towards Hiyori's face. Hiyori didn't seem to mind that he was getting closer. So did that mean it was okay to get even closer?

Hiyori's heart started to race even faster than it already was. Was he leaning in for a kiss? No, that couldn't be, could it?

Yato continued to lean in slowly until he was a nose-length away from Hiyori's face. He didn't know if Hiyori wanted the same as him. He didn't want to suddenly kiss her and have her hate him for the rest of her life.

Hiyori could feel Yato's breath gently on her lips, since he was close enough. What was wrong with him? Why was he so close? Hiyori was fighting the endless urge to kiss him. Was he trying to tease her or something?

Yato used his hands to cup Hiyori's face in them. It was then when he continued his journey to get closer to her face.

Once Yato's bottom lip was barely touching with hers, she knew that he wanted the same as her. The realization was sudden. It was tremendous relief, knowing that the person she loved loved her, too.

Hiyori closed her eyes and took a deep breath before Yato's lips completely made contact with hers.

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To be continued on Tuesday!


	4. Chapter 4

New chapter every Tuesday and Saturday!

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Yato leaned in even closer, applying more pressure on Hiyori's lips. Her soft, soft lips drove him crazy. He couldn't believe what he had done. He especially couldn't believe the fact that Hiyori had willfully allowed him to kiss her.

Hiyori remained with her eyes closed. She didn't mind Yato getting a little rough with the kiss. All she wanted was to stay like that forever – locking lips with the love of her life.

Yato finally pulled away after about a minute or so of kissing. He slowly separated his lips, but didn't get too far from Hiyori's face. His blue eyes stared into her pink ones as she opened them. It was then, when Hiyori realized what they had just done. She instantly tried to shoot her head down, but Yato's hands were still holding onto her face.

Hiyori tried to look for her hands, but, for a second, nothing in her body felt real. She couldn't tell where her legs and where her arms were. Once she remembered where the hands go on the body, she noticed that they were tightly holding onto Yato's black hair. When had she done that? The last thing she remembered was slightly coiling her fingers around a few strands, not full-on gripping his hair.

Being unable to look away, Hiyori averted her eyes to one side and released Yato's hair, setting her hands on her lap. Yato looked very serious, for some reason. He moved his hands off of her face and Hiyori instantly turned her head to the side that her eyes were looking towards. He used his now free right hand to caress Hiyori's chin. Her heart felt like exploding, why was he being so irresistible?

"Hiyori," Yato suddenly called.

Not wanting to be rude, Hiyori turned to look at him, her face so hot that an egg could be cooked on it. Just as she finished moving her head to look at him, she was surprised with Yato's lips slamming onto hers again.

The butterflies in her stomach were almost unbearable, but were somehow enjoyable. She willingly accepted the second kiss just as she had the first one.

Once they both decided to separate their lips to get a breath of air, Yato saw that Hiyori's hands were wrapped around his hair again. He liked that. He really, really liked it.

Hiyori took a few deep breaths, trying to get the oxygen in her body regulated. She looked at Yato when she had already caught her breath. She could stare into those blue eyes of his all day. Hiyori's heart was filled with so much joy that she didn't know how to deal with it.

"Hiyori," Yato finally spoke, stroking his fingertip through her chin. He gave her a quick peck on the lips before continuing, which caught Hiyori by surprise. However, this was no time to be embarrassed. "I love you," he told her. "And I-" Yato started to turn red, "and I want you to be my girlfriend."

Hiyori couldn't be more overjoyed. She really loved Yato and wanted to be with him forever. "Yato..." she told him in a low voice. "I- I love you, too!" she blurted out, barely being able to say it without her voice cracking.

Yato smiled one of those smiles that covered the whole face. He stretched out his arms and hugged Hiyori tightly. Of course, Hiyori still had her hands on Yato's hair, so she didn't have to move to return the affection.

Hiyori suddenly felt a strange sensation on her ear, what in the...?

She soon realized that the strange sensation was him nibbling on her ear. "Y-Yato?!" she exclaimed, jumping back all the way to the other end of the bench.

Yato smirked, looking satisfied with himself. "You're mine now," he told her, still showing her that smirk of his.

It was impossible for Hiyori's face to be normal color when she was around Yato. Whenever her face was close to being peach color again, he would do or say something that would make her blush.

Yato stood up from the bench and turned towards Hiyori, stretching out his hand. Hiyori took it and wondered what he was doing. He still held onto her hand when he started walking away from Hiyori. She soon realized that he wanted her to walk with him somewhere...while holding hands. She started to walk with him, grasping his hand.

"This is... a little embarrassing. What if someone from my school sees?" she said in a low voice.

"What? You think I'm embarrassing?" Yato said, almost looking hurt.

"N-no that's not what I meant..."

Yato suddenly started to snicker. "I'm just kidding," he told her. "About someone seeing us, I think that that won't happen. Have you looked behind your back lately?"

Hiyori turned to look at her back. She then saw what Yato was referring to. The long purple limb stuck out from the bottom of her spine. She had slipped out of her body without noticing.

"I must've left my body at home..." she said in an almost whiny tone.

Yato didn't answer after that, so he just continued walking, firmly holding Hiyori's hand as they walked.

They didn't say much the rest of the walk except for a comment every now an then. Hiyori would point something out and Yato would smile and say something back. He adored the way that she saw everything. Everything was precious to her; and she was precious to Yato.

They stopped walking, having arrived at their destination.

"This is..." said Hiyori, recognizing the shrine. "Why are we at Kofuku-san's shrine?" she asked as they walked towards the building.

Yato looked at her and smiled, but didn't answer her question. He only kept walking.

When they reached the door, Yato turned to Hiyori. "Wait here, I'll give you the signal to come in."

"What sig-" but before Hiyori could finish her question, Yato had already turned around and entered the shrine, closing the sliding door behind him. However, because the door was glass, she could see the inside from where she stood. She observed as Yato walked inside and started talking. Hiyori also saw that Yukine was in there with Kofuku and Daikoku, enjoying a cup of tea. They hadn't seen her standing outside.

"I have someone to introduce to you!" Yato exclaimed, looking proud of himself with his chest puffed out. Hiyori could see his body moving, but she couldn't hear what he was saying.

Yato turned to look at Hiyori and motioned her to come inside. Yukine, Daikoku, and Kofuku turned to see what Yato was waving at; they all had a puzzled look on their faces. Hiyori didn't quite understand why, but she went along with it. She walked in and Yato instantly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her a little closer to him.

"Yato-chan...? That's Hiyorin," said Kofuku, exchanging looks between Yukine and Daikoku.

"What's gotten into you?" asked Yukine.

Daikoku just sat there without saying anything, but he was just as confused as Kofuku and Yukine.

"Well, you see. This isn't Hiyori! I mean... this is, but she isn't...!" Yato started to confuse himself. "What I mean to say is that this is," he pulled Hiyori even closer so that their bodies would be touching. "My girlfriend."

Hiyori instantly turned pale, which was the complete opposite of the colors she had been turning lately. Yukine spit out his tea, choking on what hadn't escaped his mouth. Kofuku looked a little less confused and gave them one of her cute smiles. Daikoku stayed neutral to the whole situation, but he was still a little surprised that Hiyori would go for someone like Yato.

"B-b-but wait!" yelled Yukine after he managed to get all of the tea out of his trachea. "I thought Kofuku was your girlfriend!"

"You thought...? Me and Yato-chan? Oh!" she remembered the time that she was introduced as Yato's girlfriend. "We were just playing around!" she giggled.

"Is it true Hiyori?!" Yukine turned his attention to Hiyori, noticing that she was wearing Yato's jersey. Hiyori answered by looking away shyly.

"What is it, Yukine? Are you jealous?" teased Yato.

"N-not really..." Yukine looked down onto his lap as Yato blurted out things like how great he was.

All Hiyori could think about was the fact that Yato had taken her all the way to Kofuku's shrine just to introduce her as his girlfriend. Yato acted impulsively and she knew that very well. He was also a proud person, so showing off his new property wasn't something to be surprised about.

"So how did it happen?" asked Kofuku, giving off an aura straight from a shojo manga.

Yato stopped boasting and suddenly fell quiet, turning red. "It just did..." he said, giving a quick glance at Hiyori.

"Pffffhahaha. What an idiot! Yato's embarrassed!" Yukine couldn't help but laugh at his master's face. He'd seen him embarrassed before, but not _this _embarrassed; or maybe he was laughing to hide his jealousy. Either way, a nice atmosphere had been created.

"Well... I can't help it!" Yato said, turning even redder.

"Hiyorin, how did it happen?" Kofuku decided to ask Hiyori, since Yato wasn't getting them anywhere. "Yato-chan is too bashful!"

"D-don't ask me..." Hiyori finally spoke. "It was kind of quick and kind of sudden..."

Kofuku gave her a gentle smile. "Come and sit down. Let's talk it over with some tea. Daikoku, could you bring two more cups of tea?"

Daikoku nodded. "I'll be right back," he said, standing up and going into the kitchen.

Yato grabbed Hiyori's hand and led her to the kotatsu to sit down – beside him. They both sat down and made themselves comfortable. Yato sat next to Yukine while Hiyori was next to Kofuku.

Daikoku came back with the cups of tea and passed one to Hiyori and Yato. Kofuku grabbed her own cup and raised it above shoulder level. "A toast for Hiyorin and Yato-chan!" she announced. Hiyori and Yato shyly raised their cups while Daikoku only raised his because Kofuku would get angry if he didn't. Yukine was a little reluctant, but still raised his cup. Yato and Hiyori were important people to him, so he felt like he should be happy – or at least act happy.

The rest of the day, the five of them laughed and drank their tea together, celebrating the new couple.

* * *

Please leave reviews!

Also, a small poll :3

What feelings does this story make you feel?

I'm asking this because there are fanfictions that I have read that give me butterflies and I'm hoping that my writing has the same effect. If not, what emotions does this story give you?

Thank you,

Pinelle.


	5. Chapter 5

New chapter every Saturday and Tuesday!

* * *

After being at Kofuku's house for most of the day, Hiyori decided that she should go home. And, of course, Yato insisted on walking home together.

"I'll stay a little longer," stated Yukine plainly, motioning Daikoku for another cup of tea. For the most part, he didn't want to be a third wheel.

Yato grabbed on to Hiyori's hand and led her out of the shrine. Hiyori felt a little embarrassed about Yato grabbing her hand to take her everywhere they went, but she didn't mind.

"Bye Yato-chan and Hiyorin!~" Kofuku yelled out as she waved Yato and Hiyori goodbye.

Hiyori offered Kofuku a smile, shyly waving back with the hand that Yato wasn't firmly grasping.

They had both walked a few feet when Hiyori realized something. "Oh!" she suddenly blurted out.

"What?" Yato asked with a worried tone. He felt his heart sink for a moment, thinking that something was wrong with Hiyori.

"I just remembered that I left a note for my parents telling them that I was going out!" she explained, sounding concerned.

"What about it?" Yato felt a little relieved that it wasn't anything too bad.

"I left my body back at home," her grip on Yato's hand tightened a little and she tilted her her slightly. "What if they tried to wake me up? They might've gotten worried and taken me to the hospital."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Yato said positively, giving Hiyori a bright smile.

This was what Hiyori loved about him. He was her support. Whenever she felt troubled, all she had to do was see Yato's smile and everything would be okay.

She fell silent for a moment and looked at their connected hands. She really wondered why Yato was always holding on to it. Sure, they'd only started officially dating a few hours ago, but it was impossible to walk with him without her hand being held on to.

"Y-yato..?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"Hmm?"

"How come you're always..." Hiyori couldn't find a way to say it without offending him. She wasn't trying to complain. She just wanted to know the reason behind his actions. "...always... holding my...hand?" she finally asked, keeping her gaze towards the ground. "B-but!" she unexpectedly looked up at him. "It's not like I don't want you to or anything!"

Yato started to laugh a little bit, thinking about how cute Hiyori was when she tried to explain herself.

"Well, that's easy," he answered softly after he'd laughed a little. "That's because," - he let go of Hiyori's hand and used his free limbs to wrap them around her thin, delicate body - "I don't want anyone else to have you. I want to make sure to remind everyone that you're my lover." But that wasn't it. He had an irrational fear that maybe wasn't as irrational as he'd thought. Hiyori was human, after all. Would she someday forget him?

With that, Hiyori felt her cheeks fill with that tingly, hot feeling she had been feeling lately. The butterflies in her stomach went crazy with those simple words: 'you're my lover.'

She half-nodded in between Yato's chest, where her face had ended up buried. She was too flustered to hug back, but he wasn't offended. He knew Hiyori was just shy.

Yato let go of her and slid his hand down her arm, reconnecting it with hers, and started to walk towards her house again.

They continued walking like that for about thirty minutes since Hiyori's house was fairly far from Kofuku's shrine. They didn't arrive at her house until about seven thirty.

"I see the lights on, so my parents are home. I think that they didn't notice that my body is at home," she told Yato with a sigh of relief. "I don't want to worry them more than they should."

"We should get in through the window," Yato said, pointing at the window that led to Hiyori's room. "The front door's probably locked. Plus, we wouldn't want your parents thinking that your house is haunted if the door suddenly opens."

Yato hugged Hiyori with one arm and jumped up onto the window ledge, making sure that she was firmly held in his grasp. He used his other hand to open the window, which was unlocked. Yato allowed Hiyori to enter her room first and he followed soon after.

"Looks like I left my body right after I changed my clothes," she told him, staring at the sleeping girl on the ground. She waited a few seconds before going back into her body.

"I don't think your parents have even been in here all day," Yato stated , seeing as Hiyori's body had been on the floor.

"I don't think so, either," responded the half-phantom once she was back in her real, solid form. "Here," she said, handing him back his jersey.

"Do you not want to wear it anymore?" Yato said sadly, taking the jersey.

"N-no! That's not it! I just thought..." her voice trailed off. "Since we're, you know... it looks better on you."

Yato smiled gently. "Idiot. I was just teasing you."

He put his jersey back on, ignoring Hiyori's playfully furious expression.

"Shouldn't you go tell your parents that you're home?"

"Ah! You're right. I'll be right back!" Hiyori quickly made her way downstairs to her parents. They were in the living room, sitting on the couch and watching a TV show.

"Mom. Dad," she called out, standing behind the couch.

"Hmm? Oh, Hiyori. Back already? I didn't even hear the door open," her mother told her, turning her direction. "Did you hear anything, dear?" she asked her husband.

"No. I don't think so. Hiyori, you're so stealthy!" her dad chuckled a bit. "How was your shopping?" he asked with interest in his voice.

"Huh? I just looked around, but I didn't buy anything." Hiyori felt a little bit nervous lying to her parents, but she was surprised that she managed to stay calm for the most part. She never lied. Except for when the moment called for it. Naturally, she couldn't tell them that she was hanging out with her God boyfriend, the God of poverty, and their regalias. The last thing Hiyori wanted was for them to think that she was crazy.

"Make sure to go to bed early. There's school tomorrow," her mom said, turning back around towards the TV.

Hiyori hurried upstairs to see Yato still in her room.

"Aren't you going to bed, Yato?" she asked him.

"I am. I just wanted to say goodnight," he answered, walking towards Hiyori. "I'll walk you to school tomorrow."

She couldn't contain her happiness. Yato cared so much about her. She managed to muster out an, "Okay."

Yato shifted his mouth into a smile. This girl in front of him was, without a doubt, the one he'd been searching for. Seeing her get flustered made him want to embrace her and never let go.

He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, pouring his love into it, before going to the room next door. This made Hiyori's head steam like never before. It wasn't the same as regular kissing. A simple peck on the cheek had a whole different meaning. She felt like a peck on the cheek was a symbol of protection and care.

She changed into her pajamas and went to bed, excited about Yato walking her to school.

The next day, Hiyori woke up to find Yato waiting outside of her door.

"Y-yato? How long have you been there?" she asked with surprise in her voice.

"What does that matter. You're ready aren't you? You'll be late for school." he told her, his voice surprisingly calm.

"Yeah. I just finished getting dressed," she told him, walking out of her room and closing the door behind her.

She walked side by side with Yato, which surprised her a bit since he wasn't holding her hand. Once they'd reached the main entrance and gone out the door, Yato finally took her hand.

"Why until now?" she said after a moment of silence.

"W-well... How do I put it?" he scratched his chin with his free hand. "I guess I didn't want your parents to see," he explained as he started walking.

"But they can't see you."

"I know, but... I just feel uncomfortable even if they can't."

Hiyori let out a giggle. "I'm sorry. You're just too cute," she blurted out without thinking. She instantly fell silent afterwords, being embarrassed by her own statement.

Yato blushed after hearing Hiyori's complement. "The one who's cute here isn't me," he mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked after hearing his voice.

"Nothing," he answered teasingly, laughing.

They continued their walk to Hiyori's school, never letting go of each others hand.

* * *

Thanks for all the reviews and support, guys! * cries tears of happiness *

~Pinelle


	6. Chapter 6

New chapter every Saturday and Tuesday!

* * *

"Morning, Hiyori!" called out a certain brown haired glasses girl.

"A-Ami-chan!" Hiyori said with a shaky voice. She briefly shot a look at Yato, who was still with her, without moving her head.

"Morning!" pitched in another girl with shorter hair than the one with the glasses.

"Y-Yama-chan!" she managed to squeak out.

She was praying that Yato would ignore his pride and remain quiet. Sure, they'd forget about him shortly, but it was still embarrassing.

"What have you been up to lately, Hiyori? Been with the boyfriend?" Yama teased, snickering at her own joke.

Hiyori's body tensed up, why did she have to say that? She was ready to open her mouth when someone else spoke.

"Actually, she has."

Hiyori's head slowly turned to look at Yato, who was shooting a grin at her. He really enjoyed embarrassing her.

"Oh! I didn't notice you there!" both Ami and Yama exclaimed as they jumped back, surprised by the sudden appearance of the young adult.

Yama shifted her gaze downwards to see Hiyori's fingers intertwined with the blue-eyed boy. She gave a sudden gasp.

"Hiyori! So you _did _ have a boyfriend!" she said, "and a handsome one at that," she mumbled under her breath, sounding a bit jealous.

"How long have you been dating?" asked Ami, who could maintain her cool.

Hiyori and Yato looked at each other and then back at Ami and Yama. They'd known each other for a few months now, but only had started dating the day before. Hiyori didn't want to say that they'd only been dating for a day because it would be kind of weird to be so close only after a day.

"We've known each other for a few months," she explained. "But only recently started dating."

"Why didn't you tell us, Hiyori?!" Yama asked, still in shock.

Well, of course she couldn't tell them. They'd forget right away, anyways.

"I-It's embarra-" Hiyori was cut off by Yato letting go of her hand and placing it around her shoulders.

"How rude of me to not have introduced myself," he suddenly said, "My name is Kamisen Yato," he stated, using a newly invented alias. "Thank you for taking care of my girlfriend." He smiled, showing the girls a thumbs up.

Both teenagers couldn't help but feel their heart skip a beat. They didn't exactly feel attracted to him, but something about Kamisen-kun made their hearts flutter. It was probably the thought that Hiyori had scored such a cool-looking guy as him.

There was a moment of silence before the bell rang. Hiyori, displaying a red face, looked towards the entrance of the building.

"We should go to class," she suggested, her voice sounding nervous. Really, what was Yato thinking? What the hell kind of name was Kamisen?

"I'll pick you up after school," Yato said to Hiyori, removing his arm from her shoulder and cupping her cheek with one hand - the other in his pocket. He started to lean in slowly towards Hiyori. Yama and Ami stared with their mouths wide open, burning red.

Hiyori didn't know what to do. She couldn't pull away since that would be rude. Not like she wanted to anyways. But a small, insignificant, very insignificant part of her didn't want to be kissed at the moment. Not with Ami and Yama watching.

Yato must have noticed her distress and moved his face slightly to the left aiming his lips towards the side of her face. He kissed her cheek for about five seconds before pulling away and offering her a heartwarming smile. "See you later," he told her, turning around and walking away.

"W-w-w-well? W-what are we waiting for to go to class?" Hiyori asked them, starting to walk to the building. Did he know that she loved it when he kissed her cheek? She almost wished the kiss had had been on her lips. Maybe then she wouldn't be so flustered.

Ami and Yama followed behind, even redder than Hiyori. They looked like zombies walking behind her. Their faces had the same shocked expression for a good ten minutes.

"Isn't he a little too old for you, Hiyori?" asked Ami before taking a bite out of her onigiri.

Couldn't they just forget him already? It had been a couple of hours. How long did it take for a person to forget Yato? She was glad that they still remembered him, but that wasn't the way that she wanted to introduce them to Yato.

_Too old for me?_, thought Hiyori. Now that she actually realized it, how old was he? He was at least 1000 years old. So, yes. He was a _little _too old for her. However, he appeared to be around 19 or 20.

"I don't think so," she answered, sipping on her milk coffee.

"How old is he anyways?" Yama questioned her with interest in her voice.

Hiyori choked a little on her drink, giving her a few extra seconds to think of an age. After she'd finished coughing, she decided to go with the youngest age that Yato could pass off as.

"He's 18," she said, still coughing a little.

"So he's underage! I thought he was over 20 for sure."

_Well, you aren't wrong._

"Don't let his appearance get you. He acts like he's still in middle school," she told both her friends, almost sounding like a mother."

Yama let out a snicker. "Aren't _we _in middle school?"

"W-well, yes but... We're moving on to high school soon and... But he's supposed to be older than me."

"You seem happy, Hiyori," said Ami after finishing the last bite of her lunch. "If you're happy, then I am too. You and Kami...Kami... sorry, but what was his name again?"

_Seems like they're starting to forget._

"Kamisen," she answered politely.

"Right. You and Kamisen-kun make a cute couple."

Hiyori couldn't stop her smile. She felt happy that other people thought that they looked good together.

The bell rang, marking the end of lunch and the three girls made their way back to their classroom.

But one thing bothered Ami and Yama. The fact that the face of Hiyori's boyfriend's face was now a blur to them. They faintly recalled what he looked like. Black hair and blue eyes... or were his eyes green? No, they were blue, right?

* * *

Note: The meaning behind Yato's alias:

Kami: God

Sensou: War

Thus, Kamisen!

Thanks again for all of your support! You guys are what keeps me writing :D

~Pinelle


	7. Chapter 7

New chapter every Saturday and Tuesday!

* * *

"Iki-san, please go out with me!"

After hearing that, Hiyori was left at a loss for words. Not like she didn't know the reason behind this classmate confessing to her, though.

Yato.

The stupid jersey God – her boyfriend – had possessed her body a few days back and made her the high school queen.

She'd been dating Yato for a little over month now.

"E-eh?..." Hiyori squeaked out. She felt a little sorry for the boy, who was standing there bowing at her and waiting a response. "I-I" _I have a boyfriend._

"I know that you don't know me, but I am willing to give up my time for you!" he exclaimed, sweating nervously.

"W-well. You, see..." Why couldn't she just tell him that she was taken? She surely didn't want to hurt this innocent-looking boy's feelings.

"She has a boyfriend," said a third voice.

Hiyori and the boy turned to see a young adult leaning against a tree.

"A homeless guy?" murmured the boy, straightening his back.

"I am not homeless!" yelled Yato.

"I think he's lost," Hiyori told the boy, pretending not to know him.

"Hiyori...!" Yato whined, giving her his puppy eyes.

Hiyori sighed, folding her arms. "Do you stalk me when I'm at school?"

"Well, if I didn't, then you would get stolen away."

The boy exchanged looks between Hiyori and Yato, trying to put the clues together. "Wait, so you know this guy, Iki-san?"

Hiyori, her face trying to hide embarrassment from Yato's words, rapidly turned to face him. She had forgotten that the boy was there and was a bit surprised when she heard a voice talk. "I do..."

"I'm her bo-y-friend," Yato answered the yet to be asked question as to who he was.

"B-b-boyfriend?!" The boy took a few steps back. "You and him?!"

"Y-yes..." Hiyori couldn't look at him in the eyes, so she averted her sight.

Even though she'd been dating Yato for a full five weeks, hearing him say things like "she's mine" or "no one can have her" still made her feel uncomfortable.

"But aren't you like, a hobo?"

"I told you I'm not homeless!" Yato assured, feeling offended.

"But your scarf is literally torn," the boy attacked back, sounding monotonic

"It adds to my st – believe whatever you want!" he finally said, giving up on his explanation. "C'mon, Hiyori! Let's go home," he told her, stretching out his hand and waiting for her to take it.

Hiyori nodded, keeping her gaze towards the ground. She walked forward and took Yato's hand without looking up.

"I'm sorry, but I have a boyfriend," she answered the boy without looking at him.

"N-no. I understand..." the boy scratched the back of his head and turned around, walking away. He looked disappointed.

Yato watched the boy's back as it gradually shrunk in size.

"Third one this week, right?" he asked Hiyori after the boy was completely out of sight.

"Even though I've already been confessed to twice before, I still can't find a way to reject them. I'm really not good with this kind of stuff."

"That's why I'm here to help you~" Yato told her, starting to walk.

They had been behind the school building – a popular sight for confessions.

"I wouldn't call that helping. I can manage on my own, anyways..." she answered, following Yato's lead.

"Third time this week, isn't it? To me, it looks like you need help," Yato teased, remembering the first guy that had asked her out. If it wasn't for Hiyori stopping Yato, he would've killed the guy.

"Let's not forget about how you almost murdered someone a few days ago," Hiyori said, "and the worst part is that they forget you, so they think that it was me who reacted that way."

"Oops," Yato answered with no regret in his tone.

Hiyori rolled her eyes playfully. She didn't want Yato overreacting, but she also kind of enjoyed seeing him get jealous.

When they reached Hiyori's house, they both took off their shoes and walked upstairs into Hiyori's room.

Yato still didn't feel comfortable holding Hiyori's hand in the house. He was okay with hugging her and kissing her in her room, but doing it anywhere in the house felt... wrong. He worried a lot about Hiyori's parents seeing him, so he didn't risk it.

"I have homework!" Hiyori said, shooing Yato away, "We can hang out later, but right now I have to work on this project."

"C'mon, Hiiiiiyooooriiii," Yato begged. He didn't want to hang out later, he wanted to hang out now. "Just give me thirty minutes!"

"This is worth one fourth of my grade. If I don't concentrate, I'll do a bad job," she explained, trying to get him to go away.

"If you don't want to hang out, just let me stay here! I promise I won't bother you," Yato insisted.

Hiyori gave him a sigh. "Promise you won't bother me?"

Yato nodded. One could swear that he had sparkled in his eyes.

Hiyori made her way to her desk and sat down while Yato plopped himself onto her bed, watching her do her work.

Hiyori worked on her project for about thirty minutes before she heard the springs of her bed sounding. She instinctively turned to see what was making the nose.

"What are you doing?" she asked Yato, who was impatiently bouncing his body up and down the bed.

"You should take a break," he told her.

Hiyori looked at her watch, noticing that she'd been working for a while. "I guess I can take five," she complied, putting her pen down.

"Do you know how much I love you?" Yato suddenly blurted out.

Hiyori, frozen on the spot, widened her eyes in surprise. What was with the sudden confession? She kind of just stared at him for a few seconds, her mind blank. She wasn't embarrassed, either. In a situation like this, she'd usually be burning up.

"W-w-what's this... all of a sudden...?" It wasn't until she spoke that she noticed how fast her heart was beating – how nervous she was.

"I just thought that I would let you know... I want you to know," he answered vaguely.

Hiyori shifted her mouth into a gentle smile.

"Idiot," she said, "Of course I know."

Yato smiled back at her, standing up from her bed and walking towards her.

"But do you know," Hiyori told him as he approached her, "how much _I _love you?" she asked without thinking. She didn't have to think. It wasn't her brain talking, but her heart.

"Refresh my memory," he told her as soon as he'd reached to where she was sitting, smirking deviously at her.

Yato bent his upper body to match Hiyori's sitting height. Hiyori rested her arms around his shoulders, biting her lip nervously.

Yato gently placed one of his hands on her chin and made sure that she wouldn't look away.

Hiyori almost regretted saying what she had, but at the same time she didn't. Yes, it was embarrassing, but it was enjoyable.

Yato slowly closed the gap between them, firmly but softly holding Hiyori's chin.

Hiyori slowly closed her eyes, feeling as Yato's lips touched her own. The warmth of his lips reached her whole body.

Yato continued to give her quick kisses. They weren't exactly pecks, as they lasted more than a few seconds.

Both their hearts raced while kissing. They raced at such a similar speed that one could have assumed that the beating was of a single heart.

Their lips grew farther apart as Yato pulled away, tangling his finger in Hiyori's hair.

Hiyori caught sight of a clock over Yato's shoulder.

"IT'S BEEN TWENTY MINUTES!" she exclaimed, dropping her arms from Yato's shoulders.

Yato untangled his finger and grinned, looking satisfied.

"Maybe next time you'll make time for me," he said.

"OUT!" she literally picked him up and tossed him out of her room.

Yato laughed as he landed in the hallway. His girlfriend was too easy to tease.

* * *

Sorry for the late update! I've been busy * bows head apologetically *

On a side note, as always, thanks again for the support! :) You guys rock!

~Pinelle


	8. Chapter 8

New chapter every Saturday and Tuesday!

* * *

"You're so annoying!" yelled Yukine after hearing Yato whine for a few hours now.

"B-but!"

"Just do whatever you want!" he attacked, exiting the room.

Yukine decided to take a break from being around Yato, so he went downstairs and left Hiyori's house.

"Yukine, I need your opinion!" he insisted, but Yukine was already long gone.

Hiyori was still at school, so Yato didn't have to worry about her asking what was going on. He didn't want her to be concerned about them.

"That kid," he mumbled. "What am I supposed to do now?"

He looked at the clock that was hung just over Hiyori's brother's bed.

"I have to pick Hiyori up from school in an hour," he sighed, folding his arms.

He really didn't know what to do. It was Hiyori's 16th birthday tomorrow, after all. What was he supposed to do? He had no idea what to get her.

"Something that she'll like..." he said to himself.

Nope.

Still no idea.

He ruffled his hair desperately. "Plus, I have a limited amount of money."

Yato really did feel helpless in this situation. He knew that Hiyori didn't care about extravagant gifts but, if he had the money, he'd be willing to buy her the moon.

"Think, idiot!" he ordered himself.

He stood there with folded arms for a few minutes, thinking about what to get her. He sorted out ideas in his mind and scratched out the ones that she wouldn't enjoy. It was after narrowing down the presents to two options when he finally decided on the perfect gift.

"That's it!"

"Tomorrow's your birthday, isn't it?" questioned Yato, looking down at the girl walking beside him.

"Oh! I'd forgotten about my own birthday!" she answered sheepishly.

"You can't forget about your birthday!" he told her, tightening his grip around her hand.

"Then, when's _your_ birthday?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yato stared blankly at her for a few seconds. His birthday? He'd never celebrated one before, so he wasn't sure when it was.

"A-anyways," he said, leaving her question unanswered and looking away, "I already know what I'm getting you!" he boasted proudly.

"Huh? You don't really have to get me anything. I'm okay as long as..." her voice drifted off as her face turned a little red.

"'As long as...'?" Yato repeated, expecting for her to answer.

"A-as long as..." she tilted her head downwards, gazing at the ground. "I-I'm with you..." she mumbled.

"What was that?" Yato asked, leaning towards Hiyori.

"N-Never mind!" she told him with a tomato-red face.

Yato snickered, smiling down at the girl.

"I'll always be with you," he assured her.

Hiyori nodded, still unable to make eye contact.

He could fulfill his promise, but could Hiyori do the same?

"Did you decide on a gift?" Yukine asked Yato as he worked on an assignment that Hiyori had given him.

"I did," he answered proudly, lazing around on the bed.

"What are you getting her?"

Yato lifted his head to get a better view of Yukine.

"That's a surprise!"

"Shouldn't the surprise be for her and not me?" he asked with annoyance in his voice.

"Well, I don't want to risk her hearing," he said, moving his gaze towards Hiyori's room; even if there was a wall in the way.

There was a moment of silence as Yukine continued to work on his homework. The sound of the pencil scraping against the paper somewhat brought a peaceful aura to the room. The noise of progress suddenly stopped and a click was heard as Yukine put his pencil down on the desk.

"S-say, Yato..." started Yukine without looking at him.

"Hmm?" Yato responded with only one open eye. He'd already started to doze off and had both his eyes closed.

"D-don't get mad at me..." Yukine shyly told him, scratching the back of his neck.

"That depends on what you're going to say," Yato said, sitting up and folding his legs criss-cross style.

"Hiyori... she..." Yukine didn't know how to word it without sounding harsh. "She's growing up, isn't she?" he managed to say.

Yato gripped tightly onto his leg, where his hands were resting, and suddenly got a somewhat angry and sad look at the same time.

"Yes... she is," Yato told him, playing around with the fabric of his sweats.

"I-I mean, what's going to happ-" Yukine was cut off by Yato giving a loud sigh an standing up from the bed, making noises as the bed's springs shifted.

"Sorry, Yukine, but I have to go get the present for tomorrow ready," Yato told him, seemingly ignoring what he was about to say.

Yukine nodded, understanding why his master had suddenly changed the subject.

Yato walked towards the window, opened it, and jumped out. He left Yukine behind with the question that he hadn't finished asking: "What's going to happen to you two?"

Idiot kid. It's not like Yato hadn't thought about their future. To a God, every day was like a minute. They had been alive for so long that the measurement of time in their perspective gradually changed. Days passed by quicker.

But not for Yato.

That might have been the case before, but now everyday felt like, well, a day. After meeting Hiyori, he looked forward to the next day and enjoyed the last. But would all of that change in the years to come? When she wasn't there anymore?

In moments like this, Yato was glad that feelings were only passed from regalia to master because he absolutely did not want Yukine to feel his pain. Not like Yukine didn't have pain himself, though.

"Why are you always holding my hand?" Hiyori had asked before. The answer was simple: she was like a dream – enjoyable yet, at some point, terminable. And upon waking up, you realize that none of it had actually happened. She was so close and so far from his reach at the same time. He could almost feel her slipping out from her hands, caressing his fingertips as she disappeared with the wind.

No.

This was a fate that he couldn't accept. A life without her was no life at all. He couldn't go back to his minute-long days. He didn't want to for that matter.

Waiting longer would only cause more pain in the future. Now was the time to figure out what to do. Now was the time to find a way to stay with Hiyori. For him to be able to stay by her side and her by his.

Yato thought all of this as he made his way to Tenjin's shrine, jumping from building to building.

Life was cruel.

Fate was cruel.

Everything about the world was unfair.

There was no way in hell that he'd sit there watching her age and eventually die.

He would definitely find a solution.

Why? Because Hiyori wasn't a dream - she was reality. He wouldn't wake up and realize that she wasn't there, but wake up and find her laying beside him.

"Yato?" Tenjin asked, watching Yato as he approached his shrine.

Yato jumped off from a building and landed in front of Tenjin.

"I'm sorry, were you resting?" Yato questioned, genuinely concerned.

"No, I was just tending to the flowers," he responded, motioning towards the flower bed.

Yato looked around for a second and realized that his regalias weren't around.

"They're tending to the other flower beds," answered Tenjin before Yato could even ask. "So, what brings you here tonight?"

"You see," Yato said, pulling out a 5 yen coin, "I have a wish."

* * *

This is where the plot starts to pick up fufufu! (^.^)

Thank you for reading, as always!

Also, please check out my other Yatori fanfiction! (No fluff, but bittersweet)

~Pinelle


	9. Chapter 9

New chapter every Saturday and Tuesday!

* * *

"Hiyori~!" called out a certain God of Calamity as he flailed his arms from left to right playfully.

"Jeez, what?" giggled Hiyori.

"Happy birthday!" he exclaimed, acting like a child.

Hiyori couldn't help but burst out in laughter. Yato was always like that – acting childish.

She had been greeted by him that morning right as she opened her door to go get a quick breakfast, but honestly she'd lost her appetite from the butterflies that she'd received so early and the laughter she'd released.

"What's so funny?" Yato suddenly pouted, "Are you making fun of me?"

"No! That's," - she wiped a tear from her eye with her index finger - "That's not it," she finished, regaining her breath.

"Can I come in for a second?" Yato asked abruptly, looking a bit serious.

"Eh? Ah.. sure..?" she stepped away from the entrance and allowed Yato to walk in. Hiyori wondered why he looked serious all of a sudden. Had something happened...?

Yato closed the door behind him as he walked into her room.

"Yato?" she asked, cocking her head.

He looked at her dead in the eyes and gave her a devilish smirk.

"Wha-?" Hiyori attempted to say, but was interrupted by Yato wrapping his fingers around her wrists and leaning her against the wall.

"You know," he said, closing the gap between their faces, "I don't like being made fun of."

"L-like I told you," she argued, "I wasn't making fun of-"

She felt his warm lips press firmly against hers, swallowing her words.

Yato released his grip and slid his hands onto her lower back, pushing her against him. Hiyori used her now free limbs to envelop them around his neck.

His sweet smell, the warmth of his lips, everything. Everything about him was beautiful. His eyes, the stupid way he only wore his jersey, his child-like personality. Hiyori still didn't quite understand why she'd fallen in love with him, but she just did.

Yato lifted her a few inches from the ground while still locking lips with her and started to move away from the wall. Hiyori didn't notice that they were moving until she felt something soft against her back.

Yato slowly separated his lips to get a breath of air, not going too far.

Hiyori opened her eyes when she felt that Yato had pulled away, but was hit with a small wave of shock.

"Y-yato!?" she exclaimed, noticing where she was.

"What?" he asked nonchalantly, placing kisses on her neck.

"Why are we on my bed?!" she said, trying not to enjoy his kisses.

Yato stopped and pushed himself up – Hiyori under him. He hovered over her, looking straight at her with his turquoise eyes.

"Sorry," he apologized, moving aside and sitting at the foot of the bed.. "I didn't want to make it seem like I was trying to do something... I just thought that the bed was more comfortable," he explained, looking away in embarrassment.

Hiyori sat up as well, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not angry or anything, I just don't want to go that far yet," she said, grabbing onto his hand.

Yato twitched a little on the word 'yet', but he tried not to make it too obvious. He just nodded in agreement. He legitimately did not want to go that far yet, either.

"A-Anyways," he tried to change the mood, "where would you like to go? Today's your day, after all!" he told her, standing up and pulling her up from her bed with the hand that was still holding on to hers.

"Hmm," Hiyori thought out loud. She was going to say that any place was fine, but knowing Yato, he'd insist on her choosing anyways.

"We should go take a walk at the park, then!" she answered as they started to walk out of her room. And, of course, Yato couldn't help but let go of her hand as soon as they exited her room.

"Then the park it is!" Yato said, bringing back his usual childish voice.

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

"Don't you think that I forgot your present," Yato assured after they'd been sitting on a bench for a while.

"You got me a present? Y-you really didn't have to," she told him, her cheeks turning a little pink.

"Close your eyes," he ordered.

"Okay..." Hiyori complied shyly.

She felt something scrape the back of her head and slide it's way down to her neck. She also felt a slight tug – like something connected to whatever had been placed around her neck had dropped.

"Open your eyes," Yato said bashfully. "I know it isn't great, but..."

Hiyori looked down at her chest, where what looked like a 5 yen coin rested against her breasts. A necklace.

"This is?" she asked, a bit confused. The necklace was composed of a string going through the hole of the coin.

"It's the coin you gave me when you made your wish," he explained, looking fairly embarrassed.

"Are you trying to say that you won't grant my wish?" she teased.

"No... I mean, like, it umm," he blabbered, "It means that I won't need it because if it's with you, it's with me. I'm sorry, it was a stupid idea."

Hiyori lifted the coin from her chest and admired it. "I love it," she admitted.

"R-really?" Yato lit up, his embarrassment fading away.

Hiyori nodded, dropping the coin back onto her chest. "That was really thoughtful of you."

Yato smiled gently, glad that she had enjoyed her gift.

Hiyori scooted closer to Yato and rested her head against him, feeling the breeze of the afternoon on the bare skin of her arms (she'd chosen to wear a short sleeve shirt that day). She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.

Yato placed his arm over her shoulder and held her close to him. Her body felt so fragile and nimble under his limb.

Even though he should have been enjoying the moment, he couldn't help but recall the conversation he'd had with Tenjin the night before.

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

"Like 5 yen will get me to do anything," Tenjin said arrogantly.

"Agh!" Yato felt a sting throughout his whole body, feeling completely offended.

"But I'm willing to hear you out."

Yato was taken aback by his quick agreement, but went along with it anyways.

"You see, I've been dating Hiyori for a few weeks now and-"

"Hiyori-chan is dating you?" Tenjin asked for assurance, seeming a bit upset.

"Yes," Yato answered without hesitation.

"I've told you before that that child cannot get involved anymore, what are you thinking?" Tenjin reprimanded.

"That's why I..." Yato told him, clenching his fists, "You're the God of Knowledge and Academics, aren't you? Tell me, where can I turn myself human?"

Tenjin stayed silent for a moment, but he didn't let his shock show. "You've only known this girl for a year, how can she be worth your-"

Yato's eyes raged with fury. "SHE'S WORTH IT!" he yelled out, tears forming in his eyes. "Everything about her is worth it. Her smile, her laughter, her voice, the way she gets mad at me..." he drifted off, feeling tears streaming down his face.

"And what about the shrine you've dreamed of for so long?"

"It's not worth as much as she is."

"Your regalia?"

At the mention of Yukine, Yato fell into silence. He had been so distracted by the problem at hand that he hadn't thought about Yukine. Sure, he could release him and ask Kofuku to take care of him, but would it really be fair to Yukine?

"Your silence tells me that maybe Hiyori-chan isn't worth it after all," Tenjin told him.

"No, that's not it. I mean, yes... I..." Yato couldn't stop his tears now. He was caught in a huge issue and he didn't know how to get out of it. How could he possibly avoid getting left behind by Hiyori?

"Please think it over. Once you're more stable, I'll decide whether to give you information or not."

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

Hiyori lay in her bed after taking a shower – the same bed where Yato and her had shared one of their most memorable moments.

She was tired after such a long day. After the park, Yato walked her to Kofuku's shrine, where Yukine, Daikoku, and Kofuku were waiting with a cake.

She turned to her side, smiling.

"Today was a good day," she mumbled to herself.

Hiyori grabbed onto the 5 yen coin that was connected with the string around her neck, carefully examining it. She blushed a little, thinking about the meaning behind the gift. She couldn't believe he knew which coin she had given him.

She brushed it with her thumb softly, remembering the first time that they met.

"Eh?" she asked herself, noticing something strange with the coin.

There was something carved on the rim. Something small, but it was there.

She moved towards her nightstand, where she had a lamp, to get a closer look at the strange carving.

She placed it directly under the light and moved her head closer. Hiyori instantly recognized the characters as words.

"I will..." she started to read in a low voice. "I will always love you."

* * *

Welp, that's it for this chapter :)

What do you guys think Yato will do? Will he turn human or remain a god?

Thanks for reading as always!

~Pinelle


	10. Chapter 10

New chapter every Saturday and Tuesday!

* * *

Hiyori traced her finger along the rim of her cup of coffee, looking at the boy sitting across from her.

Yato sat on the other side of the booth. He had invited Hiyori out on a date to the usual family diner that they went to. He knew it was nothing too fancy, but he didn't have the money to take her out to an expensive restaurant.

He took a sip of his coffee an eyed the brunette curiously.

"You're awfully quiet today, aren't you?" asked Hiyori, trying to tease him.

Yato's eyes widened slightly – the comment caught him off guard.

He was really trying his best to act normal. But how could he act normal, when he had the whole Hiyori-isn't-immortal issue going on? He hadn't gone back to Tenjin and, naturally, he hadn't told Hiyori or Yukine about what he was considering.

"R-really?" he managed to say without sounding too nervous. His focus quickly changed to the waitress that came by up to them and set two plates down on the table, telling them to enjoy their meal.

Yato took the plate that had the food he'd ordered and Hiyori did the same, unwrapping her fork from her napkin.

"Yeah. You usually never shut up," she admitted with a grin, making sure that she didn't sound too harsh.

"So that means that I can't be quiet every now and then?" he retorted, almost making a pout. "Or maybe," he continued, leaning forward on the table, "you're desperate to hear my voice."

Hiyori used her fork to cut and pick up a chunk of her pancakes, hovering the utensil above her plate.

"Maybe I am," she teased back before placing the food in her mouth. Yato was taken aback by her statement, feeling his cheeks tickle a little. He grinned at her, resting his head on his hand and his elbow on the table.

"You'd usually be devouring that meal by now, wouldn't you?" Hiyori pointed out once she'd swallowed her mouthful of pancakes.

Yato glanced at the food on the table and then back at Hiyori. He hadn't really been eating right after that night with Tenjin. The thought of being separated from Hiyori made his insides turn.

"I'm sorry, I was too busy looking at the dessert," he justified, secretly feeling proud of his flirting skills.

Hiyori's face tinged with light pink. She tried not too show her blush. It was almost like a game with them ever since they started dating. A competition to see who would make the other fluster more and who would blush the less.

She ignored his comment and continued to enjoy her meal, feeling her cheeks relax.

Yato sighed, pulling his plate closer to him and choosing the appropriate utensil – a spoon. He might as well eat what he paid for. He didn't have 800 yen just laying around to waste on food that he wouldn't eat.

He dipped his spoon into the soup in front of him, tracing circles at the bottom of the bowl a few times before eating a mouthful. He started to think about Hiyori again – not being with her. The silence wasn't helping him. Yato needed to stay distracted or else his stomach would start twisting.

"I wonder..." he said quietly. It was the first thing that came to his mind in order to start a conversation.

"Hm?" - Hiyori looked up from her plate, staring at Yato, who had his concentration on his bowl of soup - "You wonder what?"

Yato turned his attention to Hiyori. He swallowed the soup and nervously looked at her.

_What do I say now?_, he thought. He'd tried to start a conversation, but he ended up saying what was on his mind.

He grinned, trying to sound as playful as he could. "I wonder what our lives would be like if I was mortal," he told her in the calmest voice he could utter.

Hiyori put her fork down onto her plate after hearing his comment, her face displaying features of slight shock.

"Why have you been thinking about that?" she asked softly, concern in her voice.

"It's inevitable that I think about it. Haven't you?" he stared into her pink eyes.

"Yeah, I have, but..." her voice drifted off.

Yato could almost swear that her eyes were glassy. His intention wasn't to make her sad. He wanted to discuss the problem and solve it as soon as possible.

"What if there was a way?" Yato questioned, pursing his lips.

"To turn human?" she asked, feeling a knot in her throat.

Yato nodded, biting his bottom lip and nervously tangling his hair on his fingers. He wanted her to agree to his plans. Maybe then they could find a solution together.

"I'd have to refuse," she answered, "I couldn't let you do that." Hiyori averted her eyes towards the window beside her, she just couldn't look at him or else she felt like she would start crying.

"But why?" he asked sadly, staring at the side of her head.

"Because..." she said, "It wouldn't be fair to you..." Yato noticed her hands, which were resting on the table, tensed up.

"It's not about what's fair to me. It's about what's fair to us," he told her, tensing up his hands as well.

Hiyori nodded. She didn't want Yato to do something like give up his immortality, but she also didn't want to grow up and leave him behind. Just thinking about that made her eyes watery.

"Then, what about Yukine?" she interrogated, still looking out of the window.

Yato's heart felt like it skipped a beat at the mention of that. It hurt him to think about leaving Yukine behind. He understood that pain from Hiyori and he didn't want Yukine to feel that pain from him.

"That's why I wanted to talk you - Excuse me, miss!" he called to a waitress that happened to be passing by and asked her for the check. The waitress nodded enthusiastically and went off to continue her duties.

"That's why I wanted to talk to you," he continued, "I need your opinion."

"So, are you saying that there really _is _a way for you to turn human?" she asked, feeling good enough to turn back to face him.

"I'm not too sure about that yet, but there might be," he answered, "I'd rather die than live an eternity without you," he said, blushing a little.

Hiyori's cheeks matched Yato's. She really felt touched that he loved her so much, but giving up his God status just wasn't an option. She felt her eyes starting to sting. Thinking about the whole issue made her heart hurt so much. She felt like a knife was going through it.

Yato noticed her eyes getting watery and couldn't help getting up from the booth and going onto Hiyori's side. He sat down next to her, having a sour expression.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, wiping a tear that had escaped her eye.

Yato didn't answer, but instead wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her tightly but gently. Maybe if he held on enough, time wouldn't reach her.

"Don't cry. I'm also trying to be strong, you know?" he said, trying to hold back his own tears.

Hiyori nodded into his chest, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Is it okay if I'm selfish for just one day?" she asked, feeling more tears roll down her cheeks.

Yato agreed with a "Mhm..." He hugged her even tighter, trying to comfort the girl in his arms. He let the half phantom cry her heart out in his chest. It was the best he could do for now.

* * *

Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! Let me know what you think :)

~Pinelle


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry about the late update, I've been SUPER busy!

* * *

"Hiyori-chan, it's just not reasonable," Tenjin insisted.

"Maybe not to you. I do agree that Yato shouldn't become mortal, but..." her voice faded.

"Is there any other way?" pitched in Yato, who was firmly gripping Hiyori's hand.

Tenjin looked at them with a serious expression. He stared at the couple in front of him, thinking about the bond they'd formed in such a short time. That was exactly why he didn't want to give information, though. They'd only known each other for about a year, what could they possibly know about love? He understood why Hiyori would be so confused – being only 16. But Yato was a different story. Yato had been alive for over a millennium, what was he doing with this poor, innocent human girl?

"There's really only two options," Tenjin admitted, almost biting his tongue after. Was it okay to tell them what they wanted to know?

"W-what are they?" stammered Yato before Hiyori could even open her mouth, surprised by the sudden information offered to him.

"Either," Tenjin sighed. Oh, he would regret this later. "Yato becomes human," he explained, pointing at Yato with his index finger, "Or Hiyori-chan," - he moved his finger slightly to the right - "becomes immortal."

Yato and Hiyori glanced at each other, both blinking their eyes in confusion. They hadn't even considered the option of Hiyori becoming immortal.

"Is that... possible?" asked Hiyori, cocking her head.

"Well, you're already half phantom, so detaching your soul from your human body completely should be doable," explained Tenjin.

"I don't like that option," Yato said quietly, hair covering his eyes.

"Yato?" Hiyori looked at him with confusion reflecting from her orbs.

"Do you really want to live eternally? Watch your family and friends die?"

Hiyori was taken aback by his statement. She'd forgotten about the people around her. Even though she was more than willing to give up her family and friends, her heart still felt vague and empty at the mention of watching them eventually disappear.

"What about you? Do you want to watch _me _ die?" Hiyori answered, her voice shaky.

"Of course not!" Yato exclaimed, pulling Hiyori's arm towards him and bringing her head into his chest, embracing her. "I don't even want to think about that..." he told her silently.

Tenjin couldn't help but feel pity for them. Maybe he'd misjudged their love, but that didn't change the fact that they were acting too rashly. He scratched his hairline, asking himself what to do as the couple shared a moment together.

Yato turned his head towards Tenjin, still holding on to Hiyori.

"If we decide to go with either of those options, where can it get done?" Yato questioned the God.

"I'm afraid that I cannot give you any more information."

"Huh?" Yato let go of Hiyori to step closer to Tenjin. "What do you mean?"

"I understand that you 'love' each other, but I cannot allow you two to do anything stupid," he said. "Hiyori-chan is still young and she doesn't know any better, unlike you. Yato, you have always been a person to act on impulse, but I cannot let you get away with this one. What would happen if the two of you break up? Then what?"

"I-I have no intention on abandoning Yato!" Hiyori exclaimed, grabbing a hold of Yato's arm.

Yato felt his cheeks heat up a little with those words. No one had cared about him as much as Hiyori did. Sure, he had friends such as Kofuku, Daikoku, and the many regalias he'd had throughout the years, but none were like Hiyori. And if it wasn't for her, he would have never found Yukine.

"That's what they all say, child," Tenjin told her.

"Then, what do you want us to do?" Yato asked once his cheeks relaxed.

Tenjin folded his arms. "I will tell you where you can either turn yourself human or Hiyori-chan immortal on one condition," he stated.

"What condition?" Hiyori interrogated, holding tighter onto Yato's arm and feeling his smell make its way up her nostrils.

"I'll tell you when Hiyori-chan graduates from high school."

"But why? That's still two years away!" Hiyori protested.

"Because I feel like you will have matured by then," Tenjin answered simply.

"I'm willing to wait," Yato agreed. "I'll wait two years, but no more." He turned to Hiyori and put his hand on top of hers. "If that's okay with you."

Hiyori didn't want to wait, but it was really all she could do for now. "I'll wait," she said, nodding her head in agreement.

"Then it's settled," Tenjin said, letting out a breath of air. "You might face challenges from here on out, and if you do, it's up to you two to get through them."

Hiyori's heart didn't waver, just as Yato's. They both knew that they could stay together until the end of the world.

They just had to prove that their love wasn't fake or rushed. They knew from the moment that they met, that they were destined to be together. Of course, neither would admit it due to embarrassment.

A half phantom and a God of Calamity falling in love with each other. Tenjin couldn't wait to see how this would play out.

* * *

Soooo, stuff is getting pretty intense (*^*)

I'm not sure on whether doing a time skip or showing Hiyori and Yato's relationship advance in the span of two years, thoughts anyone?

Also,

Sorry for the late update – again. * Bows 200000 times *

It's almost the end of the school year, so I've been really busy with that. I don't think I'll be able to update twice a week anymore, but I'll try to at least once a week. I hope you guys understand.

As always, thanks for reading! :*

~Pinelle


	12. Chapter 12

"This weekend?" asked Hiyori, placing a straw in between her lips and sucking up her drink.

"Mhm!" responded Yato cheerfully, nodding his head with excitement.

Hiyori tilted her head curiously. "Why is it such a big deal?"

Yato let his jaw drop in astonishment. "W-Why?" he asked rhetorically. "It's Christmas Eve on Saturday!"

"Oh!" she said, realizing why he was so excited about a simple – not-so-simple – date. It was their first Christmas together as a couple. Considering that last year they only exchanged an everyday conversation at Kofuku's shrine.

"How could you forget about Christmas, Hiyoriii!" he cried, carrying out the last 'i' in her name.

She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Yato. I've been busy with a project for school..."

"School, huh?" he asked, resting his hands slightly behind him and leaning back a little. They had been sitting at Kofuku's porch for quite a while and he was getting tired from sitting in a single position.

"Yeah..." Hiyori stated, resting her head on Yato's shoulder.

"Why are you working so hard?" he told her, feeling the top of her head brush against his cheek, "You already have good grades."

"Well, I want to make sure I keep them that way."

"You try too hard," he teased, letting out a small laughter.

"Well, if it's for my fut-" she stopped mid-sentence, tilting her head downwards. "Never mind."

Yato looked at her with a worried expression, wrapping his around her shoulder. "...I know what you mean," he said in almost a whisper. "The future is so unknown with us..."

Hiyori nodded, desperately looking for a way to change the conversation. "S-so anyways, this weekend?"

"I can't wait," he expressed, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "It'll be fun!"

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"Where are you going, Hiyori?" asked Hiyori's mother, who was cleaning dishes in the kitchen. She had seen her daughter walking from one side of the house to another with a beautiful navy blue knee-length dress.

"Ah...? Is it okay if I go out tonight?" she had forgotten to ask, but her mom usually let her do whatever she wanted.

"Sure, but who are you going with?"

Hiyori looked shocked for a few seconds. Would it be okay to say that she was going out with her boyfriend? But then, her mother would want to meet him. Still, eventually, she'd have to introduce Yato to her family, right?

"My boyfriend," she answered without hesitation.

Her mother set down the dishes that she was cleaning and reached for a towel to dry her hands as she walked towards Hiyori in a hurry. "W-what did you say? I don't think I heard you correctly...?"

"I-I'm going on a date with my boyfriend!" she almost shouted, feeling her embarrassment turn into red cheeks.

"B-b-boyfriend? Who is he? How long have you been together? Is he a classmate?" her mom bombarded Hiyori with questions. After asking about ten, she finally fell silent to let Hiyori answer.

"Uhm... We've been together for about 9 months... Let's see..." she said, thinking back at the questions she'd been asked. "He's older than me by two years and he already graduated high school... I met him at the shopping district," she told her mother. "Oh! And his name is Yato."

"Yato? Older than you? Are you sure that this boy is safe?" questioned her mother, wrinkling the skin on her forehead.

"Yes," Hiyori nodded. "You can meet him. He'll be coming soon to pick me up," Hiyori told her nervously. "U-Uhm... I forgot something upstairs, I'll be back!"

Naturally, Yato wasn't going to pick her up. He lived in the house, after all.

Hiyori rushed upstairs, her dress and hair flowing behind her.

"-stupid!"

Hiyori heard right before she entered her brother's room. _Yukine? _

"H-huh?! I think it looks fine!" Yato's voice echoed through the room.

Hiyori opened the door cautiously, only to reveal an annoyed-looking Yukine and Yato wearing a white collar shirt with a black tie.

"Hiyori?" Yato asked, having his hand behind his head. "I thought we were leaving in ten minutes?"

"I-I know, but," she said, not knowing where to start. "It's a long story, but could you pretend to pick me up? I kinda..." she drifted off. "I kinda told my mom I have a boyfriend," she finished, her face clearly a tone redder than before.

"Ha!" laughed Yukine. "Are you sure you want to introduce this good-for-nothing to your mom, Hiyori? She'll think you've gone mad," he teased.

"B-be quiet, Yukine!" Yato told him, shakiness heard in his voice. His face was a little red, even redder than Hiyori's. He looked troubled, but troubled wasn't the word to describe it.

"Yato, are you perhaps... nervous?" she asked him, feeling laughter building up in her throat.

"W-well, yeah! I mean, I've never talked to your mom before and-"

"It'll be fine, I promise," she smiled. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Did you forget who you're talking to?" pitched in Yukine.

"I won't!" he promised. "I'll meet you downstairs, then?"

"Yeah."

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

"I'll get it!" Hiyori dashed towards the front door after hearing it ring. "It's probably him. "

Hiyori's mom stood by the stairs, waiting for the door to be opened and reveal the boy that had won over her daughter's heart.

"Good evening, Hiyori," Yato said as soon as the door was opened.

_What's with the polite Yato? It's creeping me out_, she thought after hearing his first words.

"Uhm, excuse me, might you be Hiyori's mother?" he asked as soon as he caught a glimpse of the woman.

Hiyori's mom nodded and stepped forward, examining the boy carefully. She stretched out her hand, offering a handshake. Yato took the offer and introduced himself as their hands motioned up and down. "My name is Yato. Nice to meet you," he said.

Letting go of the grip, Hiyori's mom looked at him for a few more seconds before speaking. "I heard that you already graduated high school?"

"Y-yes," Yato answered, playing along. "I graduated last year."

"Tell me, how did you and Hiyori meet?" she asked, suspiciously eyeing the God.

"I-I almost crossed the street when cars were passing and she pulled me back... At the shopping district," he told her, repeating his words in his head to make sure they were believable.

"Well, I shouldn't hold you back anymore. Please take care of my daughter," she said.

"Mom, don't say stuff like that," Hiyori complained.

"Oh, and, by the way," Hiyori's mother added just before the couple closed the front door from the outside. "Your hands are quite sweaty."

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Sorry for the late update, guys! Still pretty busy with school -.-' But, nonetheless, here's another chapter. I'll try to update sooner next time!

~Pinelle


	13. Chapter 13

The night was silent – too silent. It was a stare off between pink and blue eyes.

"Y-Yato..." Hiyori said in almost a whisper, face red.

Yato blinked at the mention of his name, his fingers tracing her right cheek.

"It's okay if..."

"N-no! I want to!"

Yato was taken aback by her bold statement. The taste of her cherry-flavored lip balm still lingered on his lips.

"I don't want to force y-"

"I said that I wanted to!" she exclaimed, face turning even redder. "If I didn't, then I wouldn't have come with you here..." her voice drifted off.

The room was chilly and the cold, unique scent of the air conditioner filled her senses. Though, there really was no point in having the machine turned on – Japan was cold in February. The fact that the weather outside was cold added only more coldness to the hotel room in which the couple was in.

"I got this room to rest before going back home, but I didn't think this would happen," he said, referring to how they were both on the hotel bed – him hovering over her body.

"I do admit that my heels hurt my foot, but getting a room to rest wasn't really necessary," she told him, reaching out and putting her index finger through his tie's loop, undoing it slightly. "Was this part of our Valentine's Date plan?" she teased.

"No, I mean...You know I wouldn't think about doing something so..." he retorted, feeling his tie being completely undone.

"I know," she said with a gentle smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his lips.

Yato responded by returning the kiss. Tenjin would probably disapprove of what he was about to do. He could, however, see what Tenjin meant. Here was Hiyori, a young, innocent teenage girl. And him, a something-thousand year-old God, that should know better. But not even Gods can control who they fall in love with. That being another God, a shinki, or even a human. And Yato fell in love with the latter.

It wasn't until they were both down to their undergarments that the silence was broken.

"It isn't too late if..." Yato told her, stroking his finger along her jawline.

"Yato," she said abruptly, making Yato inhale a bit too quickly. She stared into his eyes. "I love you," she confessed with confidence.

Yato had to shift his eyes away. He knew Hiyori loved him, but she rarely said it out loud. He wasn't offended by it because he understood that she was just shy.

He moved his eyes back at her and licked his lips nervously, feeling the redness of his cheeks turn peach again.

Hiyori once again pulled him closer and kissed him.

Her mother always warned her about sex before marriage – waiting until you were married to have sex. Hiyori always agreed with that since she never had an interest with such things. But such things were different now. She was absolutely sure that Yato was going to end up the person she would marry in the future. If the circumstances were that way, then why would she hold back and wait? Time was ticking by and she wanted to live life to the fullest. A big part of her willingness also came from the fact that their future was unstable.

And so, kisses were exchanged, bras unhooked, and underwear removed. Each time Hiyori lost another piece of clothing, her heart beat twice as fast as before.

There they lay. Yato still hovered over her, but, this time, her body lacked clothing – just as his.

Yato tangled his finger in the strands of brown hair that were spread across the white hotel pillow. He tried hard not to look down at Hiyori's chest. He thought that it was fine since they'd already gotten as far as removing their clothes, but he still felt guilty and shaken.

At the same time, Hiyori tried to discretely hide her chest. She gave Yato full consent and she approved of the situation, but that didn't stop her from being embarrassed.

But what scared both of the the most, was the next step.

Yato looked into her eyes. She nodded in a sort of approval to a silent question.

And not long after that, Yato found nails digging into his back, leaving crescent marks that resembled the moon's face that same night. The sound of fast breathing rung in his ears. Hot breath brushed against his neck – both their necks. She hugged his neck tighter and dug her nails even deeper into his skin. But, naturally, that could hardly even be called pain for someone like Yato. Hiyori assumed that if he wasn't a God, he would probably be discouraged to continue due to the piercing sensation running through his back.

All in all, it ended with the two of them laying side by side on the bed. Hiyori rested her head on Yato's chest while he had an arm around her.

"We shouldn't stay here for too long. If I'm home late, my mom will be angry," she said, putting her arm around his torso and tightening her grip.

"Don't worry, I can just transport us there," he said with a wink.

This eased Hiyori a bit. They'd gone to a neighboring city, so a train ride was needed to get there. They could stay a bit longer and she could tell her mother that the train is what delayed them.

There lay the God of Calamity and the half phantom. Both committing a taboo act (one more than the other). But neither cared. The only thing in both their minds was getting home before midnight.

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Hello~ I hope you guys liked this chapter ^-^ I had a lot of fun writing it! Also, thanks for the reviews, please feel free to leave more. Reviews inspire me to work harder on my chapters :D See you guys in the next update!

~Pinelle


	14. Chapter 14

Hiyori impatiently paced back and forth in her room, holding up her right hand to her mouth and nibbling onto her nails nervously.

She gave a quick glance at the clock above her bed and mouthed the time before continuing to pace around.

"I'm worrying over nothing..." she assured herself. "I'm fine."

However, her words did not match her actions. Her forehead had beads of sweat forming along the hairline, her hands shook uncontrollably, and her nails were down to the skin of her fingertips.

She swallowed, making a loud gulping sound. Again, she glanced at the clock.

One might ask what was making this girl so jittery. A 17 year old girl like her really didn't have much to worry about other than school, right? Wrong. She had plenty to worry about at the moment. Who wouldn't be on the verge of a panic attack if they missed 'that time of the month'?

She shot a look at the clock again and scratched her head nervously, pain shooting from her raw fingertips.

Seeing the time, she made her way back into the bathroom. Her parents weren't home, Yato and Yukine were out on a job, and the housekeeper was out buying house supplies – the perfect opportunity to take the test.

Hiyori had considered staying in the bathroom until the test was ready to be read, but she thought that her anxiousness to know would force her to do something to the test to try to speed it up. Of course, she would probably end up breaking it somehow.

She entered the bathroom and, even though no one was home, she still locked the door behind her. She couldn't risk her parents – or Yato – to suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Staring at the test on the counter, she slowly approached it. She was hesitant. So hesitant, that it looked like she was trying to approach a venomous animal and not get bitten.

She gulped again.

Hiyori swiftly snatched the test off of the counter and held it in her hand without looking.

She needed to look.

She _had _to know.

But if she was, indeed, carrying a demigod in her womb, then what would she do?

Of course, the first person to know would be Yama, but not because Hiyori wanted it to be Yama. Her friend was the one that bought the test for her, after all. Would everyone in school end up knowing?

School... what about school? No. School was the least of her concerns. What would her parents do? They'd probably disown her. She knew what she was doing with Yato wasn't "ok" at her age, but they were considered a special case, right? In any case, her parents didn't even remember Yato. They'd probably think that Hiyori was some sort of whore.

She closed her eyes with these thoughts filling her mind. Taking a deep breath, she loosened her white-knuckled grip from the test and brought it up to stomach-height. She gritted her teeth before opening her hand in a quick movement, revealing the result.

One red line.

"W-what does that mean?" she questioned herself.

Shifting her eyes slightly to the right, she saw the key.

"One line is... not pregnant," she said to herself with a shaky voice.

A huge wave of relief hit her.

"I...I'm not..." she sighed, laughing nervously.

After a few minutes of absorbing the amazing feeling of relief, she smiled at the test.

"I really _was_ worrying about nothing, huh?"

She did have to admit, though, that she never thought that she would even worrying about something like pregnancy.

Hiyori loved children and she would be overjoyed if she ever had a child with Yato... but not at the moment.

There were endless reasons as to why, which included: her being only 17, her being human, and Tenjin's promise to give her information on how to turn immortal.

Obviously, the timing to start a family wasn't exactly appropriate.

"Hiyori, we're home!" a voice was heard from downstairs.

Startled, Hiyori dropped the test onto the ground by accident.

"A-ah, w-welcome back, mom and dad!" she answered, bending down rapidly to pick up the test.

She stuffed it inside of her jacket's pocket and hurried over to her room.

She closed (and locked) the door behind her.

Just as she was about to take the test out and throw it into trash can (very deeply under other garbage) she heard a knock at her window.

"Hiyori~"

"Y-Yato?!"

Hiyori instantly drew her hand back from her pocket and turned to face him, smiling and waving.

"W-why are you on my roof?!"

"It's romantic, isn't it?" he laughed, opening the window and letting himself in.

"No, it's creepy," a third voice added.

"Yukine-kun's here as well?" Hiyori asked, starting her statement as an exclamation, but ending in a question.

"Yup!" Yato happily nodded. "We just got back from ayakashi hunting!"

"O-oh, I see..."

"Are you okay, Hiyori?" Yukine asked, concern overflowing from his face.

"Eh? No, I'm fine," she answered, trying not to stutter or show any sign of trembling in her voice.

"Are you sure?" Yato interrogated, staring into her eyes.

"Yes. I am fine." Hiyori's expression changed from troubled to gentle. "I've just been a little busy lately."

"Well, if you say so..."

Hiyori nodded, reassuring the two that she was okay.

She had decided. She would not tell Yato about the whole "false alarm." She didn't need to tell him, really.

And what was she worrying about, anyways? Gods can't get humans pregnant.

Right?

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Thanks for reading this chapter! The reason I wrote this is to remind you guys that Hiyori and Yato's problem isn't solved yet. Also, to show what Hiyori is insecure and worried about. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please leave reviews! Reviews make me happy :3

~Pinelle


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